Volnay
Conditions & tides
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Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Volnay is a steamship wreck off the Cornish coast, lying in 21 metres on a sandy bottom a quarter of a mile from the beach in Porthallow bay. She was heading home from Canada with luxury goods and ammunition when she hit a contact mine off the Manacles on 14 December 1917. She was brought into the bay and anchored, and there she sank.
The wreck is non-tidal and easy to dive. It is well broken up, though some very large pieces remain, and the whole site is covered in a fine layer of silty sand, so divers need to take care not to stir it up. Shell cases, lead balls and cordite can turn up. Cuckoo wrasse, sea urchins and plenty of crayfish live around the wreck, and the current is usually light.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Spiny StarfishMarthasterias glacialisReported here · unconfirmed
Dead Man's FingersAlcyonium digitatumReported here · unconfirmed
Devonshire Cup CoralCaryophyllia (Caryophyllia) smithiiReported here · unconfirmed
European Edible Sea UrchinEchinus esculentusReported here · unconfirmed
Pink Sea FanEunicella verrucosaReported here · unconfirmed
WrasseWrasseConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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